An update!

The recent lack of activity on this blog is due, firstly to visitors arriving and giving a welcome diversion from 'housework' and secondly my computer has moved again and now sits upstairs in Brookwood, but for the most part is covered up to keep the dust off - not an ideal blogging situation!

The joiners put a wooden frame upstairs and after much frantic filling in of insulation by us, and friends (who only pretended they'd come for a holiday!) they put up the plaster board and suddenly there were rooms. It seemed strange. I'd got used to one large area

but now it's 'house like' and I could almost imagine furniture, but that would just be being ridiculous so I'll stick with imagining doors and window sills for now. This is upstairs on the landing which will also be my space with a desk - or so I like to think!

The top of the stairs and through to the bedroom

This is Myles who has come all the way up from Woking to tape and joint fill the plaster board. The huge advantage is he isn't involved in umpteen different jobs here, so he turns up each morning, which is great - and he's doing a brilliant job!

I uncovered my computer for the photo shoot! Complete with smart officegarden chair.

There are several headaches at present, but the biggest is the disappearance of the plumber! I'm sure he's busy but we would just be so happy if he turned up! Neither the joiners nor Myles can complete their sections until the plumber finishes his! I'm pushing to move in to the house by October at the latest - but when I mention this to the work force you think I'd asked them to wallpaper the moon!

Kylesku bridge

I love this bridge. It's curvy and cool and

situated in a rather remote, beautiful bit of the highlands

When I was a little girl I used to get taken by my dad along with my brother to watch the section of the M4 motorway being built near West Drayton. Me and my brother thought we would die of boredom (some Saturday mornings we thought we had.) We would lean over a bridge, looking down at earthworks, and diggers and portable loos, while our Dad expounded on motorway design, not a subject he knew much about. What intrigued him the most was the scale of it all, how it was shaped across the landscape, the machinery, and the work and planning that eventually came together to produce a motorway. Finally, I understood what he got so excited about, and have since been accused many times by my own children of going on completely unnecessarily about construction sites, and building works, and bridges, and roads, none of which I know anything about, and I see their eyes glaze over but I think one day they'll understand!

And this bridge is beautiful

it's sympathetically designed to fit in perfectly with its landscape

How is it done? Does someone sit down with a sheet of A4 paper and a compass?

From all angles it's pleasing

I wonder if the Queen went on and on about it, when she opened it? Philip probably had to tell her to give it a rest!

First prize in a beauty competition

Taking shape

I think it's fair to say I'm knackered! Niels too I expect. We have been racing all week to stay ahead of the joiners. After finishing the insulation the plastic sheeting was put on.

On the instructions, the fitting of the Velux vapour barrier looked quite easy. In reality it was like wrestling with a giant wayward out of control plastic carrier bag.

And when that was finally conquered and subdued, we had all the sealing and making good of the plastic sheeting round the windows. It took us ages and involved late nights and early mornings and lots of getting cross with tape that stuck hard to the fingers instead of the window frames.

We managed at least to keep up with them, and yesterday, while we went to sit down and rest, the joiners plaster boarded the upstairs in about 10 minutes!

Suddenly it looks like a room!

and even downstairs is coming on

An internal wall!

A hallway!

And now I'm so tired I'm going to go along to the house we're staying in and do something ordinary like watching the television and falling asleep in the chair!

A Perfect day

It was a most beautiful wedding. Esmee married Matt at St Andrew's church in Alfriston last weekend. Esmee and Robin, our eldest son, were great friends when they were little and spent a lot of time running around and squeaking as small children do!

The squeaking has stopped, and there are longer gaps in between meetings, but they remain good friends. It only seems yesterday the pair of them were splashing about on the beach at Frensham Ponds, jumping in the sand, eating jam sandwiches, and getting filthy! I remember then the place was over run with dogs and the waters edge had a frothy green scum floating on it! It's been cleaned up considerably since then. Like Robin! The three of us were invited to the wedding. Robin wore his suit and looked very handsome, (sorry Rob, I'm your mum and it's my blog!) Esmee looked radiant and beautiful in her dress. She and Matt are obviously very happy and in love and we wish them much joy in their life together. It was indeed a perfect day.

Insulating

This is a most loathsome job! It's the job to put off for as long as possible. The job that makes all other jobs you hate seem suddenly appealing and requiring immediate attention. Surely even cleaning behind the cooker is preferable to this?

It's the saving of millions of pounds in heating costs that is the carrot to keep us at it! Glass wool irritates the skin, it makes you cough and sneeze and is horrible and itchy and scratchy. We're using four batts deep in the dwarf stud walls and three in the sloping roof, then the whole lot will be covered in thick polythene sheeting.

It seems straightforward enough, but there is a jumble of fiddly pipe work to cut into and around, and it took yesterday afternoon and evening for us to complete just one side.
We are flying to Gatwick this afternoon for a wedding in Alfriston tomorrow. It will be a wonderful wedding and a chance to see friends again - and most definitely won't involve stuffing insulation into cavities! Back here on Monday, for Ikea are delivering the rest of the kitchen and hopefully the joiners will be coming back - please.